For her role in her last film, “Freaky Friday,” Lindsay Lohan sang and learned to play guitar, but her role in “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” takes things to another level. “I express myself through dancing and singing in this movie,” she says, and I never realized how much work it really was! I have four songs on the soundtrack, which we rehearsed for hours and hours. And working with Marguerite Derricks – who’s a genius – as she came up with the choreography on the spot was one of the best experiences I could have asked for. It was all worth it – it was a thrill to bring Sara’s vision to life.”
“Sara is wildly musical,” says veteran music supervisor Dawn Solér. “We sang on-set a lot. I’ve never seen a director more willing to just sing the song to get a sense of how it will work on-screen.”
“It was important to me to have a musical plan for this film,” says Sugarman, “to try to tell the story through music. Music plays such a role in the process of growing up and discovering who we are. I wanted to give it the prominence it deserved.”
With Sugarman intending her film to be greatly influenced by music, Solér was charged with making sure that the many music cues in “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” reflected Lola’s character arc. “The music is integral to what’s going on in the film,” she says. “It does more than underscore the story – it tells the story, but not in obvious ways.”
This is most true in the final number of the “Eliza Rocks” sequence. Titled “Drama Queen (That Girl),” the song’s lyrics reflect the changes Lola has seen. “Of course, in the play, Eliza realizes everything that she’s been working toward. This is a good fit with Lola, who also becomes fully realized at that point in the film.”
There was no one better to sing the song than the teenage drama queen herself, Lindsay Lohan. “The scene works because of her great acting abilities, but it’s her singing, her attitude, and her dance abilities that make the song work in a way that I’ve never seen,” says Solér. “She has such a great voice – such great character, that she’s set apart.”
The “Eliza Rocks” sequence opens with a medley of songs sung by Lohan, beginning with Stevie Wonder’s classic “Living in the City” and David Bowie’s anthem “Changes.”
Lohan also has several other new songs in the film. “A Day in the Life” comes at a poignant moment in the film, as Lola strengthens her relationship with her new friend, Ella. “Though they come from different sides of the tracks, Lola and Ella establish a strong friendship,” says Solér. “Lola says, ‘I’m just the kind of person they try to keep out, but I’m going to try this anyway.’ The song is a counterpoint to that – the lyric goes, ‘It’s just another day in the life / but I’m going to make something of it anyway.’”
“What Are You Waiting For” comes at the end of the film, mirroring Lola’s journey. Lola has been redeemed by her idol, British rocker Stu Wolff, and she has had a chance to establish her relationship with her boyfriend, Sam.
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